1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to propulsion and control apparatus for marine craft and particularly to primary steering control coordinated with a single slide valve for controlling water flow to waterjet thruster apparatus to provide reverse propulsion and control for water jet powered boats.
2. Description of Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37 CFR 1.97 and 1.98
The use of a waterjet as a primary propulsion system for marine craft is not new. Water jet thrusters for more precise maneuvering primarily during docking and leaving a dock is a more recent development, but still has been around for a long time. However, as will be seen from the following examples of the prior art, the primary propulsion system and the more precise maneuvering systems of marine vessels have typically been developed as separate and distinct systems.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,078,661 issued to H. U. Spence on Feb. 26, 1993, discloses a jet propulsion drive that is connected to a conduit leading to a control valve which control valve controls flow to port and starboard side thrusters. The side thrusters are controlled by butterfly valves which are moved in response to movement of a control lever or joy stick. More specifically, lateral movement of the joy stick affects or controls the position of the valve. The control of the valve is independent of the steering operation in that the steering wheel is connected by linkage to steering vanes.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,102,389 issued to G. H. Pedersen et al. on Sep. 3, 1963, discloses a marine vessel wherein a jet propulsion drive includes a valve which moves between an upper and a lower position. When the valve is in the upper position the water flows out of the jet nozzle and drives the boat forward. When the valve is in the lower position water flows into an upper conduit which leads to side branches. These side branches may be selectively opened or closed by controlling a control vane.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,339,516 issued to V. Lenci on Sep. 5, 1967, discloses a marine vessel having a jet propulsion drive connected to a rearward outlet riser or conduit which is connected to a loop having a plurality of side pipes and a forward riser. The side pipes and risers are all for firefighting streams of water.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,613,630 issued to Frank Jacuzzi on Oct. 19, 1971, discloses a marine vessel having a jet propulsion drive which further includes a pressure hose line intended to supply a fire nozzle.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,675,611 issued to John P. Glass on Jul. 11, 1972, uses the marine vessel engine to drive both the boat's water screw primary propeller system and a water pump connected to a plurality of water jet nozzles mounted at the bow and stern of the boat to assist in steering during docking. The water jet nozzles also provide axillary drive to propel the boat at slow speeds. A pump supplies water to the water jet nozzles, and a control mechanism operates the valves to move the boat forward, aft, sideways, and to rotate it clockwise and counterclockwise.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,680,315 issued to George R. Aschauser et al. on Aug. 1, 1972, discloses a marine vessel using water jet propulsion through a main thrust nozzle as the primary power source for forward and reverse movement. Side vector valves which are arranged to provide full water pressure are available for providing steering functions regardless of the position of the main thrust nozzle (i.e., forward or reverse).
U.S. Pat. No. 4,265,192 issued to Garf L. Dunn on Feb. 5, 1979, discloses a typical hydraulic pump drive thrust and maneuvering system which is operated by a selected combination of a plurality of water control valves from a central control switch unit. The controls of the water thruster valves is independent of any other steering of the vessel.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,807,552 issued to Larrie M. Fowler on Feb. 28, 1989, discloses port and starboard discharge nozzles by means of a bidirectional positive displacement pump for controlling a small boat. The positive displacement pump simply turns in one direction to provide water flow in a direction to achieve starboard movement and the other direction to provide water flow in the opposite direction to achieve port movement.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,129,846 issued to Berge A. Dimijian on Jul. 14, 1992, discloses a vessel propulsion system having four control water port locations around the hull of the boat. Two of the water port locations are in the stern of the boat and two are in the bow of the boat. Each of the four ports may either discharge water under pressure or conversely provide suction as an inlet to water. Thus, each of the four water outlet locations can provide a forward thrust or a rearward thrust. Control of the four locations as well as the direction of water flow is by selectively controlling the valves to cause the water jetting in the appropriate direction. There is no direct teaching of coordinated steering between the main steering and control of the vessel and the maneuvering for docking.